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Strengthening Governance and Reducing Corruption Risks to Tackle Illegal Wildlife

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Strengthening Governance and Reducing Corruption Risks to Tackle Illegal Wildlife Illicit Trade Illicit Illicit Trade Strengthening Governance and Reducing Corruption Risks to Tackle Illegal Wildlife Strengthening Governance and Strengthening Governance Trade LESSONS FROM EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA Reducing Corruption Risks to Risks Corruption Reducing Tackle Illegal Wildlife Trade Trade Wildlife Illegal Tackle LESSONS Illicit Trade Strengthening Governance and Reducing Corruption Risks to Tackle Illegal Wildlife Trade LESSONS FROM EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries. This document, as well as any data and any map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. Please cite this publication as: OECD (2018), Strengthening Governance and Reducing Corruption Risks to Tackle Illegal Wildlife Trade: Lessons from East and Southern Africa, Illicit Trade, OECD Publishing, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264306509-en ISBN 978-92-64-30649-3 (print) ISBN 978-92-64-30650-9 (pdf) Series: Illicit Trade ISSN 2617-5827 (print) ISSN 2617-5835 (online) The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law. Photo credits: Cover Illustration © Jeffrey Fisher Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda. © OECD 2018 You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgement of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at [email protected]. FOREWORD │ 3 Foreword Governance frameworks are fundamental for enabling economic integration and securing free trade. While free trade contributes to prosperity and helps lift millions out of poverty, globalisation also creates vulnerabilities that can be exploited by criminal networks at the expense of public safety, human rights and environmental resources. Such vulnerabilities enable, among other forms of trafficking, the global scourge that is the illegal wildlife trade, which erodes natural resources and undermines the long-term viability of ecosystems and diversity. The consequences of this trade are thus particularly dire for poorer rural communities in source and transit countries. The aim of the study was to map and better understand vulnerabilities caused by illicit trade and to explore ways to tackle it effectively through enforcement and governance frameworks. The study was conducted in the Public Governance Directorate by the Secretariat of the OECD Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade (TF-CIT), under the auspices of the OECD High Level Risk Forum (HLRF). The study benefitted from over 100 field interviews in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, as well as findings generated from global seizure data from WCO and TRAFFIC databases complemented by desk-based research. This study focuses on the case of illegal wildlife trade in select countries in East and Southern Africa. The perception of this crime as being “low-risk, high-reward” has made it particularly attractive to criminal networks. These networks are able to pay public officials and other actors along the supply chain to turn a blind eye, provide inside information or otherwise abuse their position of public authority to enable such trade. The range of institutions and governments officials who are targeted and at risk underscores the need for urgent action. This report looks at institutional capacities to counter illegal wildlife trade, and the gaps in public accountability that enable criminals to circumvent the law. The findings contribute to a more structured understanding of the gaps in governance frameworks that enable corruption and keep the illegal wildlife supply chain moving. The report offers a number of recommendations to government bodies interested in addressing this nefarious form of illicit trade, including donor agencies and law enforcement bodies, but also international organisations and NGOs engaged in the fight against illegal wildlife trade. STRENGTHENING GOVERNANCE AND REDUCING CORRUPTION RISKS TO TACKLE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE © OECD 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS │ 5 Acknowledgements The report was prepared by the OECD Public Governance Directorate, led by Marcos Bonturi. The report was written under the supervision of Stéphane Jacobzone, Deputy Head of Division, Reform of the Public Sector, and Jack Radisch, Senior Project Manager. It was drafted by Michael Morantz, Policy Analyst. Polen Cisneros provided research support and quantitative analysis. The questionnaires benefitted from internal review and comments from Julio Bacio Terracino and other experts in the Public Sector Integrity Division headed by Janos Bertok. The fieldwork was co-ordinated thanks to Ms. Elizabeth Gitari. The authors wish to acknowledge the help received from the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude for the seizure data provided by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and for an open source dataset received from the wildlife organisation TRAFFIC. The authors are also grateful to the Investigation and Evidence team at World Animal Protection. The authors express their gratitude for the numerous invaluable comments from the members of the OECD Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade who provided expertise and guidance throughout this project. In addition, the authors would like to acknowledge the 102 individuals (who shall remain anonymous) across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, who provided insights and information in their capacity as enforcement officers, senior civil servants, magistrates, prosecutors, academics, international experts, NGO directors, field officers and others. The authors are grateful to these dedicated individuals who have volunteered their time and efforts to contributing their first-hand experiences, research, analyses and information to making this report as detailed and accurate as possible. In addition, the authors would like to thank the different expert reviewers who contributed their time and expertise to ensure the rigour and quality of this report. In particular, the authors wish to thank Tim Steele and Javier Montaño (UNODC); Rob Parry Jones (WWF); Steven Broad and Sabri Zain (TRAFFIC); and Mark Shaw (Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime). The authors are grateful to Liv Gaunt and Andrea Uhrhammer for their editorial and production support. The authors would like to dedicate this book to the memory of Mr. Esmond Bradley Martin (1941-2018) and Mr. Wayne Lotter (1965-2017), whose lifetime achievements and research have helped to advance the protection of species and ecosystems across East and Southern Africa and around the world. STRENGTHENING GOVERNANCE AND REDUCING CORRUPTION RISKS TO TACKLE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE © OECD 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS │ 7 Table of contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ 5 Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... 9 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 11 1. Introduction: Understanding the impact of the illegal wildlife trade and the need for change 15 1.1. Background ................................................................................................................................. 17 1.2. Purpose of the Report.................................................................................................................. 20 1.3. Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 21 1.4. Structure of the Report ................................................................................................................ 25 References .......................................................................................................................................... 26 Notes .................................................................................................................................................. 27 2. IWT and Corruption Risks: The Current Picture ....................................................................... 29 2.1. Taking stock of the evidence .....................................................................................................
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